SEATTLE— Activists in wolf masks will rally outside Seattle’s Henry M. Jackson Federal Building at noon Thursdayto oppose the Trump administration’s new plan to end protection for nearly every wolf in the lower 48 states.

Trump’s plan, announced Wednesday afternoon, is the most significant blow to the recovery of wolves in the past 40 years. Thousands of people around the country have already spoken out.

What: Protesters in wolf masks will speak out against Trump’s wolf plan.

Media availability: Activists and Center for Biological Diversity representatives will be on hand for interviews before and after the rally.

Background
Trump’s proposal would remove federal protections for all gray wolves, with the exception of Mexican gray wolves, which are listed separately under the Endangered Species Act. It will also likely ensure that wolves are not allowed to recover in the Adirondacks, southern Rockies and elsewhere that scientists have identified suitable habitat.

Congress stripped wolves in Idaho and Montana of protections in 2011, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stripped protection from Wyoming wolves in 2017. This led to the killing of thousands of wolves and cessation of further recovery in these states.

“Wolves are still struggling to recover here in Washington and Trump’s plan will only make things worse,” said Sophia Ressler with the Center for Biological Diversity. “But this isn’t over. Americans from coast to coast stand ready to fight this plan with everything we’ve got.”

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.4 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.